UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > General Vintage Technology > Success Stories

Notices

Success Stories If you have successfully repaired or restored a piece of equipment, why not write up what you did and post details here. Particularly if it was interesting, unusual or challenging. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 9th Aug 2009, 6:20 pm   #1
slidertogrid
Octode
 
slidertogrid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 1,897
Default EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Well it's finished!
This is the Ekco AD65 Which I was given by a friend who had a slight accident with it the before pictures are in the thread in the cabinet refinishing section of the forum.
Today I polished the cabinet and did some final touch ups of the repairs. I found the best way to produce a Bakelite mottled effect was with a selection of brown and black perminant marker pens, dabbing on the pen and then stippling it with a finger before it dried. My bakelite effect fingers should come clean eventually once I was happy with the effect I gave it a polish with wax polish to seal the surface. The outcome is acceptable but you can see where some of the damage was if you look closely in bright light, the only way to cover it completely would have been to have sprayed the cabinet rather than just touch up the repairs but I wanted to preserve the original bakelite finish where possible as I preferred it to a full respray which would have never looked right to me. I then pulled the speaker cloth tight and fixed it into place.
When I came to fit the tuning scale I had a bit of a shock! It had shrank and no longer fitted the curved apature in the cabinet. I think this is common with the AD65 as I have seen others that have been repaired.
All of the fittings and screws that held the scale were missing so it was back to the junk box for a rummage.
After a lot of persuation I managed to bodge the scale in place but it was still too short at either end so I made a couple of filler pieces to fit in either end. The scale buckled when it was held down flat by the fixings and this would foul the tuning cursor lamp so more persuation was needed The filler pieces are not a very good match but were the best match I had to hand. I hope they will yellow with age
I secured the tuning gang on the chassis by replacing a broken rivet with a screw (that really was some fall!) and shoved the chassis back in.
The chassis lined up OK with the mounting points in the front so I guess the cabinet can't be too far out!
It is now safely parked on the sideboard and displays well in its location, the repairs are not seen but we will see what the critics say when they see it!
I don't really care! I like my "round Ekco", designed by Wells Coates...case by Isopon .... finish by Dupli-colour.... At under £30 it must be one of the cheapest!
Thanks to all who gave me advice and encoragement without you it would still be in bits...... Or landfill
Rich.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	DCP08516.JPG
Views:	621
Size:	126.7 KB
ID:	27849   Click image for larger version

Name:	DCP08510.JPG
Views:	543
Size:	125.4 KB
ID:	27850   Click image for larger version

Name:	DCP08523.JPG
Views:	586
Size:	174.3 KB
ID:	27851   Click image for larger version

Name:	DCP08524.JPG
Views:	585
Size:	120.3 KB
ID:	27852   Click image for larger version

Name:	DCP08519.JPG
Views:	489
Size:	166.4 KB
ID:	27853  

__________________
The rotation of the earth really makes my day...
slidertogrid is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 7:30 pm   #2
Lloyd 1985
Nonode
 
Lloyd 1985's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 2,814
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Hi
that is a beautiful set!!! I can't see the cracks at all in the photo's, well done! and the new foot blends in nicely too. I see what you mean about the tuning scale shrinking, i think this happens with a lot of these radio's, probably caused by heat. I think painting it wouldn't have looked right, unless it was black! it looks good sat there with the other set, and the blueprint behind it!

regards,
Lloyd.
Lloyd 1985 is online now  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 7:30 pm   #3
Colin
Heptode
 
Colin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Ilkley, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 656
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Astonishing result from an extremely unpromising start! Congratulations Rich! Very well done indeed. You're an artist!
__________________
Colin Armstrong
Colin is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 7:37 pm   #4
Boom
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Westbury, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 2,451
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Well done Rich that is definitely one to be proud of. I am curious as to why the dial should have shrunk

Dave
Boom is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 7:42 pm   #5
AlanBeckett
Rest in Peace
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Burton upon Trent, East Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,686
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Well done Rich. So much for all those who said bin it
Alan
AlanBeckett is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 8:06 pm   #6
paulsherwin
Moderator
 
paulsherwin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,786
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Excellent job Richard. It shows what you can achieve with an apparently unrepairable broken bakelite case. Inspirational stuff.

Paul
paulsherwin is online now  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 8:07 pm   #7
stuie319
Pentode
 
stuie319's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 229
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

What a stunning transformation
Very well done indeed, thats superb

Regards
Stu
stuie319 is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 8:40 pm   #8
wheresthetubes
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 135
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Blimey!! When I first saw what you had I thought why bother... it was a complete disaster. What a great job!! My goodness.
wheresthetubes is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 8:43 pm   #9
dallaslaff
Pentode
 
dallaslaff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 141
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Well done! Absolutely amazing transformation.
Les
dallaslaff is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 8:48 pm   #10
Ian B
Hexode
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Arlesey, Bedfordshire, UK.
Posts: 401
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Brilliant job!!

The tuning dials are always a problem. Being celluloid they shrink when heated unless kept under tension, and in fact can be stretched when warmed - extremely difficult to do with shape like that. (I tried to straighten a badly warped A22 dial and it! completely!) What did you use for the "extension" pieces?

Ian Blackbourn
Ian B is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 8:54 pm   #11
Top Cap
Octode
 
Top Cap's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Watford, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,270
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Fantastic job Richard, I am glad you persevered with it. You may be able to find some suitable material for the scale later and use the existing one as a kind of template, remembering of course it has shrunk a little .
Give yourself a pat on the back and a well earned pint at your local.
Les
__________________
Whether the Top Cap is Grid or Anode - touching it will give you a buzz either way!
Top Cap is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 8:55 pm   #12
mark pirate
Dekatron
 
mark pirate's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Posts: 5,185
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

This has turned out fantastic cant see the joins, very well done indeed
As i said in a previous post, well worth the effort, is it working well?

Mark
mark pirate is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 9:00 pm   #13
Steve_P
Dekatron
 
Steve_P's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 6,644
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Goodness Gracious Me! That is amazing. Really amazing.

Well done old bean. That is a success story and a half is that.

Cheers,

Steve P.
__________________
If we've always had it, why is the Car Boot open? You're not sneaking another Old TV in are you...?
Steve_P is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 9:47 pm   #14
Sideband
Dekatron
 
Sideband's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 7,548
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

I'll extend the congratulations there! Superb job. The cracks are barely visible (I can only see one) and would be unnoticeable to anyone who didn't know they were there in the first place.

Excellent job which has given me encouragement with my busted VHF80 case (not in the same class as your radio but almost in as many bits)!!

You deserve a or two for that job!


Well done.

Rich.

PS is the Philips also a worker?
__________________
There are lots of brilliant keyboard players and then there is Rick Wakeman.....
Sideband is online now  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 9:52 pm   #15
slidertogrid
Octode
 
slidertogrid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 1,897
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Thanks all
I am pleased with it, I must admit it did try my patience and I had to walk away from it a few times. The problem with disguising the repairs was that if I tried to do it too quickly it looked terrible and had to be cleaned off and started again, the same applied to the polishing, it was very easy to end up with the filler showing through and then it was back to square one.
If I could have found a way to dye the filler it would have made life easier but when I tried I found that the filler stayed soft or refused to bond properly and would just slide off as soon as you tried to sand it. I am sure there is a way and will experiment further with a broken DAC90a cabinet I have in the shed. The problem with the Ekco cabinet was that the repairs had to be strong as the cabinet despite being quite thick was quite flimsy until all the repairs were made, it also seems to had warped slightly during its long storage as some of the joins had to be really forced together until the glue bonded. I wanted the joins to be as tight as possible and the further I got to a complete cabinet the harder it got to get a tight join, this is why I was suprised when the chassis lined up with all the fixing points.
The tuning scale had curled up during its time in the loft, I don't know if it shrank when I heated it in an attempt to flatten it. It had ripped itself out of its fixings and has a split middle - top where the screw hole is.
I used a sleeve from a 78 record sandwiched in sellotape to make the filler pieces I picked the one that was the most yellow but its not yellow enough (yet!). I could have probably got a better match but to be honest the scale is fairly grotty anyway, it's a bit wavey and faded. Maybe I will come back to this, but I am concerned about ruining it altogether!
On speaking to my friend, I asked him how far it had fell, he told me that the shelf was on his landing, one of the supports had failed causing the shelf to tip, the radio had slid off the shelf and dropped down the stairwell into the hall below, it had hit the bottom step and broken a window in the hall between the hall and the lounge so it's no wonder it was so smashed!
I am tempted to offer it back to my friend but he has moved to a lot smaller house and his new partner is a bit fussy about "clutter" so I don't know if it will be appriciated. I will see what he says next time I see him. I might swap it for a Nice Dansette Hi Fi Record player he has that she is trying to make him get rid of.....

Rich.
__________________
The rotation of the earth really makes my day...
slidertogrid is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 10:07 pm   #16
slidertogrid
Octode
 
slidertogrid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 1,897
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Hi Richard , Thanks ! as far as the VHF80 cabinet is concerned, go for it ! it will be another one saved and that is what collecting is all about!
Yes, the Philips works its a bit tricky to tune but produces lots of nice "wireless noises" .
It is the set I paid the most for in my collection. It was my reward to myself for giving up smoking a few years back ! I better noT say how much I paid as my partner sometimes reads my posts ( to check the grammer and spelllingg) and I value my earoles too much!
__________________
The rotation of the earth really makes my day...

Last edited by slidertogrid; 9th Aug 2009 at 10:11 pm. Reason: spelling and punctuation!
slidertogrid is offline  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 10:11 pm   #17
Sideband
Dekatron
 
Sideband's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 7,548
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Quote:
Originally Posted by slidertogrid View Post
I might swap it for a Nice Dansette Hi Fi Record player he has that she is trying to make him get rid of.....

Rich.

..no contest! I think you should stick with the Ekco!!
__________________
There are lots of brilliant keyboard players and then there is Rick Wakeman.....
Sideband is online now  
Old 9th Aug 2009, 10:51 pm   #18
chipp1968
Rest in Peace
 
chipp1968's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Somerset, UK.
Posts: 2,356
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Very nice .well worth it . It will always be repaired but its a good repair and very presentable . Im glad it wasnt painted
chipp1968 is offline  
Old 10th Aug 2009, 9:21 pm   #19
yestertech
Nonode
 
yestertech's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 2,109
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

I'm speechless ! Fabulous job ! Andy
yestertech is offline  
Old 11th Aug 2009, 9:50 am   #20
Hunts smoothing bomb
Octode
 
Hunts smoothing bomb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Wimborne, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 1,407
Default Re: EKCO AD65 Disaster restored !

Absolutely gob smacked! That is a stunning work of art and a brilliant skill you have, I wonder if the scale shrank when you soaked it in the very hot water? I wonder if resoaking and carefully stretching will restore it's original size?

A very big pat on the back Well done!!

Cheers
__________________
Lee
Hunts smoothing bomb is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 3:29 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.